About Me

I was a reporter and columnist for 40 years for a chain of newspapers in the suburbs of Chicago. I'm a military veteran having served in the United States Army Combat Engineers (Cpl. E-4) and a Korean War veteran with an Honorable Discharge from the Armed Forces of the United States of America

Sunday, September 20, 2009

There is a lot of cursing in this video of our troops in a real-life firefight with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Hot action.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/Rr50Xl1SgXs&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

Al Jazeera has gained exclusive access to the Taliban in the north of Afghanistan as this report from Alan Fisher in Kabul makes clear. The Taliban has announced it is to launch a major offensive to coincide with the first day of Ramadan. Called Nasrat or victory, it is warning of an increase of suicide bombings, ambushes and attacks against the enemy. The offensive comes as the Taliban claims its gaining support outside its traditional southern strongholds. The group says it now has a foothold in Kapisa province, about 50km north of Kabul, and claims most of the district of Tagab is under its control. TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/EQ2g-d22G7k&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

This Al Jazeera video shows an interview with a Taliban leader who says if Obama sends more troops to Afghanistan the Taliban will respond with more of their own troops plus suicide bombers. Video shows Taliban forces preparing for major attacks on American outposts.TURN UP YOUR SOUNDWATCH VIDEO HERE:http://www.youtube.com/v/h_hWi3JLIdY&hl=en&fs=1CLICK ON DIAMOND-SHAPED ARROW TO PLAY VIDEO

BAGHDAD — An American helicopter crashed at an airbase north of Baghdad, killing one soldier and wounding 12 others, the American military announced in a statement on Sunday.The crash occurred Saturday night at the air base in Balad, the largest American airfield in the country. The helicopter, a UH-60 Blackhawk, is the most common one in use in Iraq, regularly ferrying troops between the country’s major bases.http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/21/world/middleeast/21iraq.html?_r=1&hp